Work and Play!

Its Friday morning and hard to believe we are almost halfway into our trip!

Yesterday was a beautiful day, clear blue skies, warm sunshine. Some of the guys continued on the wall with the nationals, some continued to carry paving stones to the front bus stop, and we continued sifting sand, making mortar and cleaning up. With an hour to go until lunch, we decided to unload skids full of more paving stones, apparently they needed the skids back. We unloaded three or four skids before lunch only to be told that it really didn't have to be done....this can be how things go now and then! Oh well, it was good for the waist-line :) At lunch we stood on the front yard watching the kids race out of school. As soon as that bell goes its like a stampede out the front door. Evert got it on video and I took pictures. Kids really are the same everywhere!

We are being totally spoiled by Mar-Lou and her kitchen help. The food has been amazing, nutricious, and delicious. Never a same meal and usually two hot meals a day. Mucho gracias, Mary-Lou!!

After lunch we piled into the van and headed for the volcanic hot-springs, about 45 minute drive from here. The drive alone is worth it. Through a few small towns and then up the mountain side. A narrow road with no guard rails and the side of the mountain literally a few feet from the edge of the road. But the scenery - beautiful valleys, market gardens, irrigation and poly houses, a patchwork quilt of plots full of onions, radishes, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, brocolli, flowers and more. With a constant water supply they farm all year round. These are locally owned farms that hire the local people to work - hard work on steep hillsides. Most of this produce goes to Central America and local markets. The produce is beautiful and lush. We couldn't get enough of seeing these amazing farms set in the middle of the mountains, with the volcano Santa Maria as a back drop!

The hotsprings are set in a tropical oasis. If you can at all picture what creation might have looked like before the fall, this would be it. Bigger than life plants, flowers, water dripping from the rocks, and pools of aqua water terraced into the mountain side. There are several pools, the top being the hottest...which is an understatement as the water was so hot it took most of us a good bit of time to actully get in! The second pool is like bathwater and the third cool. All the water cascades from one into the other. We eased ourselved into this hot mineral water and soaked all our aches and pains away. Its a good thing we did this in the afternoon as most of us were just finished by the time we got home!

This morning we are sorting all the school supplies we brought along with us. Thank you so much for all the supplies we received - it will bless the teachers and students. Some of the girls will go and help Rosaria clean the bathrooms in the school, others will continue with the wall and the paving stones.

Our devotions are a special time for us during the day. After supper we gather to read scripture and a few thoughts on it, sing and share. Its a good time for us to debrief, talk about our day, our thoughts and observations, what we are learning or how we are feeling. Most of us have become fairly comfortable with our routine and the days are flying by. The team continues to gel extremely well and the friendly banter and joking keeps us laughing all day. We talk often about our hearts, about how we respond to the people of Guatemala, how we deal with some of minor issues that we come across and what we are to do with it - thanks Pastor EJ and Sharen for teaching us how to do this!!

We miss you all - we are thankful for our warm days and sunshine and wish you good days.

Blessings.